Student of the Year

Tevin R. Parker, MTIC 2015 Outstanding Student of the Year

Tevin is working towards her Master’s degree in Civil Engineering and her field of specialty is Transportation. She worked as a co-op student for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet during parts of 2010 and 2012. She was also has been the recipient of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Fellowship Award. She is currently working as a transportation intern at Neel-Schaffer and is interested in pursuing her research and field of practice in Rail Road Engineering. During the summer 2012, she served as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Louisville proving her skills as an effective mentor to younger CE students helping them with their studies in the Statics course. In spring 2013, she participated in the International Service Learning Program travelling to Botswana, Africa with an interdisciplinary group consisting of other university of Louisville students from other departments and various majors. Tevin is also an active member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).

Austin Connor, MTIC 2014 Outstanding Student of the Year

Mr. Connor received a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. He is currently a Master’s of Engineering graduate student and is expected to graduate in the spring of 2014. He is a graduate research and teaching assistant in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. He is currently conducting research to investigate the shear properties of Glass-­‐Fiber-­‐Reinforced-­‐Polymer reinforcement in concrete systems. His focus area is to develop the design methodology using innovative construction materials or sustainable development of transportation infrastructure systems.

Past Winners

Jenny Elyard, RTI 2012 Outstanding Student of the Year

Jenny Elyard is an EIT certified master’s student at West Virginia University. She holds a B.S. in civil engineering, a minor in mathematics and is currently pursuing a M.S. in civil engineering with a focus on transportation engineering. As an undergraduate she received the Promise Scholarship, Presidential Scholarship, and graduated summa cum laude with a G.P.A of 3.92. Jenny worked part-time at KCI Technologies in Morgantown, WV on several site civil/electrical projects using AutoCAD and Microstation. She was also involved in an undergraduate research project for the West Virginia Department of Highways which dealt with detecting and warning motorists of end of queue locations in freeway work zones. Jenny Elyard has been critical to the success of many RTI research projects exemplifying as to why she is an excellent recipient for RTI’s Student of the Year. Her technical and reasoning skills are at a level that allows her to quickly catch on and learn new concepts and easily apply them to solve problems. She was an integral part of the research project “Signing to Prevent End of Queue Accidents”, performing the majority of the literature review and interview tasks, as well as a significant portion of the final report.

Chris Van Dyke, MTIC 2012 Outstanding Student of the Year

Chris Van Dyke is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Geography at the University of Kentucky. His research interests encompass fluvial geomorphology, biogeomorphology, natural hazards and sustainable transportation systems. Chris has contributed to a number of projects that focus on transportation issues in the State of Kentucky, including research that evaluates the sustainability of the state’s roadways, finding new methods to mitigate for the loss of roadside ditches during road construction or road relocation, and determining strategies to protect roads from sudden flooding events. He is also engaged in two MTIC projects. One is a predictive model that forecasts barge movement along the inland waterway system to understand how it can operate more efficiently given present structural constraints, such as an aging system of locks and dams. The second MTIC project focuses on port sustainability, and understanding what types measures inland ports can implement to improve their economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Chris Van Dyke was chosen as the MTIC Student of the Year, because he has proven himself as a flexible, diligent and conscientious researcher who has contributed to a broad range of transportation projects. Chris, above all, exhibits concern with conducting research with an eye towards policy implementation.

Each year, one Graduate Student of the Year is competitively selected to represent RTI at the Council of University Transportation Centers’ (CUTC) banquet, which takes place during the annual Transportation Research Board Conference in Washington, D.C., each January. The Graduate Student of the Year receives $1,000 plus the cost of attendance (conference registration and travel/lodging expenses) at the TRB Annual Meeting, two free registrations to the CUTC and a certificate from US Department of Transportation.

Eligible candidates must have completed with a grade of B or better at least 12 hours of graduate course work at the time the selection is made and have a graduate GPA in excess of 3.25 (out of 4.00). Eligible candidates must be a legal resident in the United States and enrolled in a transportation-related program or completed a degree in the current calendar year (2012). Selection is competitive and based upon accomplishments in three areas:

Technical Merit and Research – Evaluation of submitted written papers or reports;

Academic Performance – Evidence of professionalism and leadership in the form of presentations at professional society meetings and symposia; and

Professionalism and Leadership – Demonstrated leadership in student or professional activities.

Eligible candidates must be a graduating senior with a minimum GPA of 3.00 (out of 4.00), a legal resident in the United States and enrolled in a transportation-related program or completed a degree in 2011.

Selection is based upon accomplishments in three areas:

Technical Merit and Research – Evaluation of submitted written papers or reports;

Academic Performance – Evidence of professionalism and leadership in the form of presentations at professional society meetings and symposia; and

Professionalism and Leadership – Demonstrated leadership in student or professional activities.